Register and control apparatus for corrugator

ABSTRACT

APPARATUS FOR FIRST FORMING SINGLE FACE CORRUGATED PAPERBOARD AND THEREAFTER COMBINING IT WITHPRINTED SHEETS TO FORM DOUBLE FACE CORRUGATED BOARD, THE DISCLOSURE INCLUDING MEANS FOR CONTROLLING THE FEED AND SIDE REGISTER OF THE CONSTITUENT WEBS AND SHEETS.   D R A W I N G

y 4, 1971 c. H. KLEIN ET AL 3,577,299

I REGISTER AND CONTROL APPARATUS FOR CORRUGATOR Filed Dec. 26, 1968 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 INVENTOR.

%% 2 QMW Wf/w ArraeMeKs May 4, 1971 -c. H. KLEIN ET AL REGISTER AND CONTROL APPARATUS FOR CORRUGATOR Filed Dec. 26. 1968 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 v INVENTOR. M/Q/V United States Patent Ofice 3,577,299 Patented May 4, 1971 3,577,299 REGISTER AND CONTROL APPARATUS FOR CORRUGATOR Charles H. Klein and James K. Haley, Cincinnati, Ohio,

assignors to Novelart Manufacturing Company, Cincinnati, Ohio Filed Dec. 26, 1968, Ser. No. 787,105 Int. Cl. B32b 31/00; B65h 25/00 US. Cl. 156-361 Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE Apparatus for first forming single face corrugated paperboard and thereafter combining it with printed sheets to form double face corrugated board, the disclosure including means for controlling the feed and side register of the constituent webs and sheets.

This invention relates to apparatus for combining printed sheets with a single face web to form double face board and more particularly the invention is directed to the controlling of the side register and feeding of the Webs and sheets as they are combined first to form the single face and thereafter combined with'the' discrete sheets to form double face.

The term single face denotes the corrugated paperboard formed from a facing web to which a fluted web is adhesively secured. The term double face refers to board formed by applying an outer face to the fiuting of single face. The term single facer refers to the apparatus for combining two webs to form single face.

The present invention is an improvement in the apparatus disclosed in Pat. No. 3,306,805 and in the c0- pending application of Klein et al. Ser. No. 548,559 filed mode of forming pre-printed double face board and in this.

regard the reason for pre-printing sheets instead of a web is to reduce to a minimum the paper requiredto form the printed face of the board.

An objective of the present invention has also been to minimize the waste of paper in forming pre-printed board. In accordance with the present invention, attention is directed to providing a control of the feeding and of the side register of the constituent webs and sheets thereby minimizing the side edge scrap generated by sloppy side edge register.

In accordance with the present invention, the single facing apparatus preferably includes two single facers, two supply rolls for the facing web and two rolls for the .fluting web, and a festooning bridge for conveying single 'face to the double face combining apparatus.

This organization provides greater diversity and greater speed with consequent economy than is possible in the prior apparatus. The diversity is provided" in part by the use of two single facers providing B flute and C flute, for example. The speed is provided by the use of the tandem rolls and the festooning bridge which permits the shifting to a fresh roll after the depletion of a supply roll without interrupting the continuous operation. Such features of apparatus which provide for speed and diversification do, ;however, give rise to problems of side register, for ob-j viously the variation in the widths and types of webs and the like requires a variation in the feeding and register controls.

An objective of the present invention has been to provide for a continuous monitoring of the side register of the webs fed into the single facer and means responsive to the monitoring to shift the transverse position of the supply roll in response to a misalignment.

As an important feature of this monitor, the invention provides for a freely shiftable idler roll which provides substantially instantaneous response at the monitoring detector to the shift of position of the supply roll.

Another objective of the present invention has been to provide for the selective drive of a festooning bridge conveyor from one or the other of the single facers so that the speed of the festooning conveyor is timed in relation to the single facer by which it is fed.

Another objective of the invention has been to provide for side guiding of the single face emanating from the festooning bridge, thereby providing, insofar as possible, good side register of the single face with respect to the printed sheets.

These and other objectives of the invention will become more readily apparent from the following detailed description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings in which:

FIG. 1 is a diagrammatic side view of a corrugating apparatus employing the principles of my invention;

FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view illustrating the drive to the festooning bridge taken along lines 22 of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a side elevational View of the left side of FIG. 2 further illustrating one portion of the drive for the festooning bridge;

FIG. 4 is a side elevational view of the right side 9f FIG. 2 illustrating another portion of the festooning bridge drive;

FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view illustrating a typical supply roll and associated trolley taken along lines 5-5 of FIG. 1;

FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view illustrating a typical transversely movable idler roller assembly taken along lines 66 of FIG. 1;

FIG. 7 is a diagrammatic illustration of a typical detector and its associated electrical and hydraulic circuit for controlling the transverse movement of a supply roll trolley;

' FIG. 8 is a top plan view illustrating the side guides associated with the festooning bridge taken along lines 8-8 of FIG. 1; and

FIG. 9 is a top plan of the side guides for the single face utilized to insure that the single face has remained in register with the stack of discrete sheets taken along lines 9-9 of FIG. 1.

I GENERAL DESCRIPTION OF APPARATUS AND OPERATION Referring now to FIG. 1 and to the corrugating apparatus indicated generally by the reference numeral 10,

the apparatus 10 comprises generally a pair of supply stations 11 and 12 located on each side of single facing station 13. Each supply station includes a pair of supply rolls mounted for transverse movement on trolleys 14. The apparatus 10 has a pair of detecting stations 15, 16 mounted intermediate the single facing station 13 and the supply stations 11 and 12., respectively. Further included in the apparatus 10 is a festooning station 17 located above the stations 11, 12 and 13. Downstream from and below the station 17 is a combining station 18 wherein pre-printed sheets are combined with the single face to form double face board. Associated with the station 18 are a sheet feeder 19 and a stack of discrete preprinted sheets 20.

In operation, webs of paper are fed from the supply stations 11 and 12 through the detecting stations 15 and 16 respectively to the single facing station 13. While in the station 13, the web from the station 11 is fluted and adhesively secured to the web from supply station 12 in a conventional manner to form single face corrugated paper. If the webs are out of transverse register with respect to each other while they pass through the detecting stations, the misalignment will be sensed by the detectors 15 and 16 which will correct them accordingly by transversely shifting the supply roll or rolls which are mounted on the trolleys 14.

From the station 13, the combined single face paperboard is fed onto the festooning station 17 where it is accumulated for further processing at the combining station 18. As the single face is fed to combining station 318 it is maintained in transverse register with the discrete sheets at 19. 1

The sheet feeder 19 serially feeds sheets from the top of the stack of discrete sheets while the single face is being fed into the station 18. These serially fed sheets are conveyed as a continuous web through the combining station 18 and while therein are adhesively secured to the fluted side of the single face presented from the festooning station 17 to make double face corrugated paper. This combining operation is described in our Pat. No. 3,306,805 and our co-pending application Ser. No. 548,559, referred to above. From the combining station 18, the double face is fed through a dryer (not shown). The double face is now complete and may be removed for further processing if necessary and stored in any desired manner.

TRANSVERSE REGISTER FOR SINGLE PACER As stated above, each of the supply stations 11 and 12 is provided with a pair of supply rolls. These supply rolls 24, 25, 26 and 27 are carried on the trolleys 14 by shaftless mill roll stands 28, 29, 30 and 31, respectively. One roll in each station is provided as a backup roll to eliminate shut down time for a paper change. Each trolley 14 has wheels 32 suitably secured to a trolley undercarriage 33. These wheels 32 cooperate with transverse trackways 34 in the floor 35. As can be seen in FIG. 5, each trolley 14 it attached as at 36 to the free end of a transversely shiftable piston rod 37 of a hydraulic cylinder 38, the cylinder 38 being suitably anchored by means (not shovm) to the floor 35. Actuation of the cylinder 38 in either direction is effective to shift a trolley 14 and supply roll accordingly. 1

An anti-tilt arm 43 is provided for each trolley 14. This arm 43 is secured to a post 44 anchored into the floor 35 and is positioned to overhang the side edge 45 of the trolley. Arm 43 is utilized to preclude tipping of the trolley 14 and supply roll as the web of paper is pulled from the supply roll.

The single facing station 13, intermediate the supply stations 11 and 12, has a pair of single facers 46 and 47 (B flute and C flute, respectively, or example) which are selectively driven in a conventional manner (not shown). Each of the single facers 46 and 47 is provided with an output drive shaft drivingly connected to chains 48 and 49, respectively. The chains 48 and 49, in turn, are selectively drivingly connected, as described below, to the festooning station 17 to drive that station 17 selectively from the single facer 46 and 47.

The detecting stations 15 and 16 are identical; therefore only the detecting station 15 will be described in detail. It is to be understood, however, that the same numerals are applicable to the other detecting station 16.

The detecting station 15 includes a pneumatic detector 52 at its downstream end and a transversely movable idler roll 53 at its upstream end. Referring to FIG. 7, the detector 52 comprises an air discharge port 54 and an air receiving port 55. The ports 54 and 55 are aligned with one another and spaced apart a distance suflicient to permit a web of paper 56 to pass therebetween. The port 54 is connected to a suitable source of air pressure (not shown) and the port 55 is connected to a conventional pressure sensitive member 58 via a line 57.

The member 58 is connected to atmospheric pressure on one side of a diaphragm 59 and to pressure from the line 57 on the opposite side. A pressure sensitive diaphragm 59 which separates the opposite sides of the member is mechanically coupled to a spring biased nozzle 61. The nozzle 61 is adapted to direct hydraulic fluid into one or the other of a pair of lines 62, 63.

Also associated with the detector 52 is a hydraulic circuit which includes a motor driven pump 64, a solenoid controlled directional valve 56, a hydraulically controlled two-position valve 66, and a manually positionable transfer valve 69. The solenoid for the valve 65 is normally de-energized so that hydraulic pressure is applied to one side of the valve 66 which, in turn, completes the hydraulic circuit for the detector 52. The valve 69 is connected to the trolley control cylinders 38 of the supply station 11 by lines 39 and 40 and 41 and 42. Since the trolley control cylinders 38 are identical only the one connected to lines 40, 42 is illustrated and discussed. When the paper reels are changed the valve 69 is shifted so that the circuit isconnected to the other cylinder. The nozzle 61 is connected to the pump 64 by a line 68.

'In operation a portion of the air emitted from port 54 is blocked by the web 56 to create a balanced condition in the diaphragm 59. If the web is mis-aligned to one side or the other, more or less of the air is blocked by the web 56 creating an imbalance in the atmospheric chamber and the pressure chamber and thus move the nozzle 61 accordingly. With hydraulic pressure normally applied to the left side of the valve 66 via line 67 and valve 65 the lines 62, 63 which receive hydraulic pressure from the nozzle 61 are connected with a pair of lines 50, 51 via the valve 66. Thus, the lines 62, 50 are connected and the lines 63, 51 are connected. Assuming nozzle 61 to have been moved to the left position, the hydraulic fluid will be pumped into the left side of the cylinder 38, via lines 62, 50 and 40 and forced from the opposite side via lines 42, 51 and 63 thereby shifting the trolley connected thereto.

More specifically, if the web 56 is offset to the left (see FIG. 7'), the nozzle 61 is connected to line 62 because the pressure in chamber 60 is greater than the atmospheric pressure in chamber 59. This connects the pump to the left side of cylinder 38 via line 68, nozzle 61, line 62, valve 66, line 50, valve 69 and line 40. Thus connected, the cylinder is forced to the right to reposition the web 56 and balance the diaphragm 60. When a balanced condition exists in the diaphragm 60 the elements of the circuits of FIG. 7 return to their neutral position as illustrated. That is to say, the nozzle 61 is directing the same amount of hydraulic fluid into the line 62 as into the line 63. Conversely now, if the web is oifset to the right the nozzle 61 is forced by its springs so that it is connected with the line 63 to shift the cylinder and its attached trolley to the left.

The transversely movable idler roll 53 at the upstream end of the detector station 15 includes a conventional idler roll 70. This idler roll 70' is suitably journalled for rotation in the lower ends of brackets 71, 72 depending from longitudinal frame members 73, 74, respectively. The brackets 71, 72 are swingably connected to the frame members 73, 74 by hinge pins 75 of hinges 76.

When the trolley 14 and associated supply roll are shifted to the left or right, the web from this roll is shifted. Shifting of the web moves the roll 70 accordingly so that the corrected condition of the web will appear immediately at the detector.

FESTOONING BRIDGE GUIDES The festooning bridge .17 is mounted above and to the frame members 73, 74 by means not shown in FIG. 1 and diagrammatically shown in FIGS. 2-4. Referring to these FIGS. 2-4, the bridge includes a pair of feedrolls 78 and 79, a platform conveyor 80, and a funnel or side guide 81.

The feed rolls 78, 79 of the bridge 17 are driven in rotation by output shafts 82 and 83, respectively, of a gear box 84. The gear box 84, in turn, is selectively driven by the chains 48 or 49 of the single facers 46 or 47, respectively, through a switching. Specifically, an input shaft 85 of gear box 84 mounts a pair of free wheeling sprockets 86 and 87 which are driven by the chains 48 and 49. The hubs of these sprockets are notched as at 88 to cooperate with a drive dog 89 having teeth 90. The dog 89 is keyed to the shaft 85 intermediate the hubs of sprockets 86 and 87 and is journalled for rotation in a flange 91 of a shift lever 92. The lever 92v is secured to the frame structure 93 by a pivot pin 94. Movement of the shift lever 92 about the pivot pin 94 will selectively drivingly connect the chains48 or 49 to the gear box 84 through the appropriate notch 88 of hub 86 or 87, teeth 90, drive dog 89, and shaft 85. It should be understood that in place of the dog clutch described, a disc type friction clutch could be employed.

The shaft 82 which mounts roll 78 also drives the conveyor 80. Referring to FIGS. 2 and 3, the shaft -82 is effective to drive the conveyor 80 at a reduced speed via a speed reducer 95. The speed reducer 95 includes a torque arm 96 eccentrically connected at its upper end to a disk 97 carried by the shaft 82. The arm 96 is pivotally connected at its lower end to one end 98 of a ratchet pawl 99 which is, in turn, pivotally connected as at 100 to a frame member 101. The conveyor 80 further includes a drive shaft 102 which carries on its outer end a ratchet wheel 103 engageable by the pawl 99.

One rotation, of the shaft 82 is effective to rotate the ratchet wheel 103 and the attached conveyor drive shaft 102 a distance equal to one tooth of the ratchet wheel. Thus, by way of example, a 30-toothed ratchet will effect 30 to 1 ratio in speed reduction between the festooning drive rolls 78, 79 and the platform conveyor drive shaft 102 permitting single face paper to be festooned on the platform conveyor 80.

Associated with the festooning station 17 is the funnel or guide 81 located near its downstream end. The festooning bridge guide 81 insures proper transverse registry of the single face with the stack of discrete sheets 20. This funnel 81 comprises a pair of side guide blades 105 and 106, and as can best be seen in FIG. 8, these guide blades 105 and 106 are pivotally mounted adjacent their mouths by pins 107, 108, respectively, to frame members 74, 73. At their other ends or guide throat, the guide blades 105, 106 journal screw followers 109, 110 threaded on a reverse threaded screw shaft 111. The shaft 111 is rotatably journalled in bearing brackets 112, 113 secured to the frame members 74, 73, respectively, and carries a hand crank 114 on one end thereof. Rotation of the crank 114 and attached shaft 111 is effective to pivot the blades 105, 106 about pivot pins 107, 108 to open or close the throat of the guide 81 to accommodate different widths of single face.

An additional guide 116 is provided for the single face prior to its entry into the combining station 18. The guide 116 is a final check for the single face to further insure its transverse registry with the stack of discrete sheets 20. This guide 116 comprises a pair of blades 117, 118 secured by wing nut screws 119 to a cross shaft 120 (see FIG. 9). These blades 117, 118 are manually adjusted as needed by loosening the screws 119 and shifting them along the shaft 120.

The combining station 18, as mentioned above, includes the sheet feeder 19, a conveyor and other associated components shown and described in said patent and application, and therefore has not been shown or described in detail.

OPERATION I In operation, the webs 56 supplied from the supply rolls 25 and 27 are fed into the single facer 46, the rolls 24 and 26 being utilized as stand-by rolls and the single facer 47 being inoperative. The webs 56 which are input to the single facer pass over the shiftable idler rolls 53 and through the pneumatic detectors 52 in the detecting stations 15 and 16.

If the webs at the pneumatic detectors 52 are in good transverse registry with respect to each other and with respect to the stack of discrete sheets 20, the webs will continue into the single facer 46 without activating the switch 58. If however, the webs 56 are out of transverse. register, the switch 58 is actuated to shift the valve 64 accordingly to correct the misalignment. Shifting of the valve 64 controls the input of fluid to one side or the other of the cylinder 38 which is effective to shift the rod 37 and attached trolley 14. Shifting of the trolley 14, of course, shifts the roll which it is carrying, and theshifting of the roll immediately effects the transverse shifting of the web 56 because it is passing over the transversely movable roll 53. Since the web 56 was permitted to be shifted by the shifting of the roll 53, the portion of the web 56 at the detector 52 is also shifted so that the detector will immediately sense the corrected web.

The webs 56 from both rolls 25 and 27 are continu ously being monitored and corrected when necessary to fully insure that they are constantly held within the permitted tolerances which constitute good transverse register with respect to each other.

While in the single facer 46, the web 56 from the roll 25 is fluted and adhesively secured to the web 56 from the roll 27 to form single face paperboard. This single face is then pulled onto the platform conveyor of the festooning station 17 by the feed rolls 78 and 79 via a plurality of idler rolls.

Since the rolls 78 and 79 are moving the single face at a substantially higher speed than the linear speed of the conveyor 80, the single face is festooned on the conveyor. While festooned on this conveyor, the conveyor carries it into the mouth of the guide 81. Because the mouth of the guide is wider than the throat of the guide, single face that has become out of transverse register with the stack of discrete sheets is permitted to enter. However, the tapering guide blades 105, 106 provide a narrow throat section which is in transverse register with the stack of printed sheets 20. Thus, single face passing through this throat is maintained in transverse registry with the stack 20.

After the single face leaves the bridge 17 it passes below the combining station 18. While below this station 18, the single face is fed through side guides 116 which provide a final check to insure that it has remained in registry with the stack 20.

In the combining station, the sheet feeder 19 serially feeds the sheets from the top of the stack 20 and places them onto a conveyor which transports them into engagement with the fluted edge of the single face. While the sheets are being serially placed upon the conveyor, the fluted edge of the single face is being coated with an ad hesive so that the sheets will be adhesively secured to form double face corrugated paperboard.

What is claimed is:

1. In corrugating apparatus having a single facer, supply rolls feeding paper for the back up and fluted web of single face, a festooning bridge and means for serially combining discrete sheets from a stack with said single face, side register mechanism comprising transversely movable trolleys supporting said supply rolls,

detectors for detecting the transverse position of each web as it is fed into said single facer.

at least one idler roll over which a respective web passes located between said respective supply rolls and said detector,

means mounting said idler roll for free transverse shifting, whereby the response of the detector to transverse shifting of the supply roll is substantially instantaneous,

means controlled by said detector for moving said trolleys transversely in response to detected misalignment of said web.

2. Apparatus according to claim 1 in which the mounting means for said idler roll comprises a pair of vertical brackets hinged, at their upper ends to frame members above said roll for transverse swinging movement,

and means pivotally mounting said roll between the lower ends of said brackets.

3. Apparatus according to claim 1 in which said festooning bridge includes a longitudinally extending conveyor for moving festooned single face toward said combining means,

a pair of transversely spaced convergent guide blades mounted at the downstream end of said conveyor for 2 guiding said single face into proper transverse register with said discrete sheets in said combining means.

4. Apparatus according to claim 3 further comprising at least one reverse threaded screw shaft threadedly engaging said respective blades for adjusting the size opening between said blades.

5. Apparatus according to claim 3 and a further pair of transverse guide blades disposed adjacent said combining means to provide final transverse register of said single face as it moves toward said combining means.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,289,909 7/1942 Greenwood 156472 2,534,686 12/1950 Strauss et al. 24257.1 2,558,761 7/1951 Kentis, Jr. 242-57.1 2,581,711 1/1952 Roselius 24258.1 2,641,416 6/1953 McCleary et a1. 24257.1 2,741,440 4/1956 Sutherland 24257.1 2,747,666 3/1956 Brooks 24257.1 2,766,949 10/1956 Warner 24257.1

SAMUEL FEINBERG, Primary Examiner D. A. BENT, Assistant Examiner 

